Patty Alvarez, PhD, MS, chief student affairs officer and vice president, has Universitywide leadership responsibilities for programs and services that support student success, including the SMC Campus Center and event services; student counseling services; recreation, wellness, and fitness; intercultural center; student pantry and emergency fund; writing services; student leadership development; student communications and assessment; disability support and accommodation services; and University Student Government Association and student organizations. Additionally, in cooperation with other partners, Dr. Alvarez provides leadership in housing services; international services; University food services and catering; student insurance; and the University bookstore and textbook adoption process. She helps lead efforts to provide a university climate that fosters multiculturalism and internationalism, student success, personal development, and integrated student learning experiences. Dr. Alvarez closely collaborates with the Student Affairs Deans in each School and campus partners across the University. She is an adjunct faculty member in the Graduate School.

Dr. Alvarez has more than 25 years of professional experience working in student and academic affairs at several universities, including Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI); the University of Maryland, College Park; Cornell University; and the University of Dayton. At Dayton, Dr. Alvarez led diversity strategic planning efforts for the Division of Student Development, played a leadership role in developing and supporting a comprehensive student life component for the China Institute, and led the Office of Multicultural Affairs in supporting the academic success of racially and ethnically under-represented students and developing intercultural education experiences for the campus community. She also served as an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Counselor Education, where she taught multiple courses for graduate students enrolled in the higher education and college student personnel programs. At IUPUI, she led a comprehensive student activities office that included student organizations, civic engagement, multicultural student engagement, fraternity and sorority life, campus programming, first-year programs, and student government. She also served as a coordinator in the office at IUPUI that she later went on to direct, Campus and Community Life, where she was responsible for cultural heritage month programming, a diversity and leadership program series, the Student Activities Programming Board, and campuswide diversity education initiatives. At the University of Maryland, College Park, she taught undergraduate students enrolled in a living-learning community how to conduct research using community-based approaches. Dr. Alvarez served as the director of the Latino Living Center, a residential program house at Cornell. At Cornell, she also served as the residence hall director for the Pre-Freshman Summer Program, a bridge program offered in collaboration with academic units for under-represented students.

Dr. Alvarez received a PhD in college student personnel from the University of Maryland.  She earned a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with minors in sociology and Spanish; both degrees were earned at Indiana University in Bloomington.

You can find Dr. Alvarez on the third floor of the SMC Campus Center, located at 621 W. Lombard St., and reach her at palvarez@umaryland.edu or 410-706-5433.